Finally in Love
by Dizplicity
Summary: He hates the way Chiaki always nods off when he talks to her. He hates Komaeda's infatuation with hope even more. So, when he begins to find himself slowly falling in love with both of them, he figures he must be crazy. [KomaHinaNami]
1. Get Out of My Cabin

_Alternate Summary: "Whenever one of them has trouble sleeping, they always find each other huddled together in the same cabin, laughing and telling secrets."_

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><p>It all began one insignificant night when Hajime woke up to a knock on his cabin door. He almost ignored it, until the knock came again... and again... and again.<p>

Groaning, he haphazardly threw the covers away from his body and got up. Nearly tripping over his own two feet, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and waddled over to the front of his cabin to open the door. The door opened easily, and he found that he wasn't exactly surprised, but definitely unnerved, to see that standing on the other side was none other than Nagito Komaeda, interrupted mid-knock.

When he realized who exactly it was that had woken him from his sleep, an annoyed expression made it's way to his features. He had to wonder what in the world the crazy white haired boy could possibly want at this hour. Knowing him, he probably wanted to talk about his latest plan for murder. Or perhaps he just thought now was an appropriate time to make another heartfelt speech about hope. There was no telling with this guy.

With the door opened, Nagito reflexively took a step back, and happily greeted him. "Hello, Hajime!" He began, after flashing an awkward smile. "It's a beautiful night, isn't it? If nothing else, this island sure does have a lovely sky. Unlike in the city, you can see millions of stars every night!" He then laughed in that foreboding way of his, causing Hajime to struggle not to slam the door in his face.

Instead he ran a hand through his spiky hair, and sighed. "Nagito, it's three in the morning." His patience was running short, and he was tired from being woken up so suddenly.

"Yeah, about that..Is it alright with you if I come in?" He asked suddenly, causing Hajime to give into his tiredness, and immediately slam the door. The door didn't shut though. Instead it was abruptly stopped, and held open by four slender fingers, caught between the door and the wall. A sharp yelp was heard from the owner of the smashed fingers, and the door was opened almost as quickly as it was shut.

Hajime's eyes widened in horror of what he'd just accidentally done. "Oh my God, Komaeda, what the hell?" He loudly whispered, reminding himself to keep his voice down.

"I-it's okay Hajime! You can do it again if you want to!" The injured boy insisted, holding his hand close to his chest. "If it's you, then it's fine. Trash like me shouldn't-"

"Just shut up and get in here." Hajime spat, as he quickly grabbed onto the sleeve of Nagito's green jacket and pulled him inside of the small cabin. All reluctance was forgotten once he caught sight of the bruised appendages.

"Haji-"

"No, it's fine."

Hajime quickly sat the Ultimate Lucky Student down on his bed before turning around and rushing towards the bathroom. Nagito hadn't expected to be allowed in, not to mention dragged in. "This is a lovely room, Hajime." He said, as he admired his surroundings. "Much better than my horrendous cabin." When Hajime ignored him, he took it as an 'okay' to continue. "And I must admit, that Monokuma collection of yours in quite impressive. I've seen those toys lying around every so often, but I've never actually picked one up. Next time I see one I've got to remember to give it to you! Would you like that, Hajime? I can even-"

"Found it!" The spiky haired boy exclaimed, once again cutting Nagito off. Getting up, he walked back towards the bed. Only this time he was carrying a first aid kit in his hands. He'd picked it up at the supermarket not too long ago, and was fairly happy that it was able to come in handy. "Now let me see your hand." He demanded.

"Huh? Hajime is going to treat the wounds of someone as worthless as me?" Nagito exclaimed, his light-gray eyes lighting up. "I truly am blessed to be able to experience the kindheartedness of an Ultimate!"

Hajime scoffed. "That's great, Komaeda." He replied, as he absentmindedly began to wrap Nagito's hand.

Komaeda smirked, and Hajime scowled back at him in response, eager to get this over with. "Hey, Hajime?" Komaeda began, and Hajime looked up at him. "Isn't it funny?"

Hajime quirked an eyebrow, and Komaeda took this as a sign to continue. "What I mean is.. how the bad luck of me getting my fingers crushed caused the good luck of Hajime allowing me into his cabin." He said with a smile.

Hajime didn't even try to suppress his groan as he returned to his treatment of Nagito's wounds. He should have known Nagito would bring up something crazy like that. He wondered why he even listened at this point.

Eager to change the subject, the brunette brought them back to the matter at hand. "So, why'd you even come here in the first place? And you better not answer with some crazy answer like, 'I just wanted to see your hope', or something."

"Haha no, nothing as noble as that." Nagito's screwed up definition of 'noble' caused Hajime to roll his eyes. "It's actually much more selfish."

"Is it?" Hajime asked, obviously uninterested. He really wanted to go back to sleep.

"Yes. The truth is that I sort of had a nightmare."

"A nightmare?"

"Yes. It's a bit embarrassing. Kind of like a little kid who cries to his mother, right?"

"So that's why you're here? You're scared?"

"No, no!" Nagito quickly corrected, waving his uninjured hand frantically. "Not scared, just...uneasy?"

"That's pretty much the same thing."

"Yeah, I guess so." The white haired boy replied, thoughtfully giggling to himself at a joke the other failed to understand.

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><p>Once Hajime had finished dressing the wound, the situation suddenly became much more awkward. He didn't really know what to do now. God, he just wanted him to leave.<p>

Although he didn't care about the nightmare, he asked anyway, figuring it was the right thing to do. But, due to a soft knock at the door, Nagito was unable to respond.

Suddenly startled, Hajime quickly stood up. He did not want to be caught with Nagito in his room. He wondered who the hell this could even be?! He didn't think anyone other than Nagito lacked enough common sense to show up at his cabin this late at night.

His thoughts were cut short as Nagito swiftly stood up. "I wonder who that is." He said as he began to walk towards the door.

"No- Komaeda, wait!" Hajime harshly whispered, in horror. But it was too late. Nagito had already reached the door.

Hajime could do nothing but stare as Nagito calmly opened the door and began casually greeting Chiaki. He acted like it was totally normal for two guys who hated each other to be spending the night in the same room.

"Hello Nanami! It's strange to see you here at this hour. Unless of course it's not. I'm just saying what I think Hajime would say." After some consideration he added "Are you perhaps here to see him?"

The Ultimate Gamer, clad in her favorite jacket and carrying her adorable kitty backpack, stared up at the White haired boy. She could have sworn she had knocked on Hajime's door, so why...Oh well. She had never been that good with directions anyway.

Suddenly remembering that she had been asked a question, the quiet girl began preparing her answer. "No, not really." She decided to say, seemingly unfazed from being faced with Nagito rather than Hajime.

The girl was suddenly much more confused when she saw Hajime push past Nagito and frantically try to explaim himself. "Nanami! Don't get the wrong idea! He just showed up and forced his way in!"

"Actually, you forced me in." Komaeda happily corrected

Gasping in shock and offense, Hajime blurted, "Shut up, Komaeda." before turning back to Nanami. "Don't listen to him. He's crazy."

"That may be true, Hajime, but I'm not lying."

"I only let you in because you jammed your stupid hand in my door!"

"Hey, hey."

As she suddenly raised her voice, the boys' attention was turned back to her. "Yes, Nanami?" Komaeda asked kindly. He was very patient with the Ultimate Gamer. Hajime on the other hand, was not.

"...Do either of you have any batteries?" She asked, once she was sure they were really listening. After staying up late to play her new game, her controller had suddenly died. She wanted to continue playing as quickly as possible, seeing as she was in the middle of a boss fight. But, to her dismay, the supermarket was closed, so she was forced to turn to Hajime in hopes that he would be able to help save her save data.

If this were an RPG, Chiaki figured it would be a side quest.

"Batteries? Uh, yeah I think so. Hang on." Hajime answered, as he retreated back into his room.

"Would you like to come in, Nanami?" Komaeda offered. Hajime groaned at how the pale boy acted like they were living together. Chiaki definitely wasn't one to gossip, but what if she accidentally happened to mention this while talking to one of her friends? If the others thought he was talking to Nagito they wouldn't trust him anymore. And trust was absolutely crucial in the situation they were being forced to undergo.

His search for the batteries was interrupted when he heard the two sit on his bed. "H-hey! What are you guys doing?" He got no response. They seemed to be making themselves comfortable and that was the opposite of what he wanted. What he wanted was for them to get out of his cabin. He was losing more and more sleep every second they insisted on keeping him awake.

Chiaki could hear Nagito talking her ear off from her left side, but she wasn't listening. She was too busy thinking about game analogies. If this were an RPG, of course it was a side quest, but what if it wasn't an RPG? What if it was a dating sim? If this was a dating sim, then surely this must've been where the separate routes split from the common route. Her heart sped up at the thought. If that's the case then did that mean Nagito and Hajime were her two options? She had to chose quickly in fear that her time would run out.

"Nice Monokuma collection, Hajime." The gamer said, deciding Hajime was the safe choice. Nagito's route would surely be filled with danger and many bad ends.

"That's what I said!" Nagito agreed, surprising Chiaki. "He said he'd like it if we could bring him anymore we find."

So she'd accidentally picked Nagito? Oh well. If this actually was a dating sim, she supposed she wouldn't mind going through Nagito's route.

The gamer was soon brought back to the real world when Hajime huffed in response to Nagito's previous accusation. "I did not say that!" He angrily denied. Searching for the batteries was proving to be more difficult than he at first anticipated. He knew he had some, so where-

His thoughts were interrupted when Chiaki yawned. Stretching her arms above her head as she muttered, "Sleepy.." in that way of her's.

"It's your fault for staying up so late!" He snapped before turning around to look at her. He was taken by surprise when he saw her lying down onto his pillow.

"Ah! Chiaki!" He gasped as he rushed over to prevent her from falling asleep, but it was too late. Soft snores were already emitting from her slightly opened mouth.

"That's our Nanami, right Hajime?" Komaeda said, out of the blue. "I wouldn't expect any different from the Ultimate Gamer! She must have been working hard tonight!" Since he laughed and shrugged as he said it, Hajime grew even more frustrated if that even was possible.

Groaning once more, he returned to his search and said, "Just hang on a second. I know they're here somewhere." Opening yet another drawer, he smiled in victory when his hand brushed against a box of new batteries. "Found it!" He exclaimed.

Though his victory was short lived when he turned around to realize that Nagito had also grown tired while waiting for him. The Ultimate Lucky Student lied next to the Ultimate Gamer on his bed. His calm breathing indicating that he was already asleep.

"No, no, no, no, no. Hey! Guys, wake up!" He yelled, shaking Chiaki's shoulder. It was useless. The only response he got from her was a soft moan.

Sighing, he took a step back in order to take a look at the damage. The two lay next to each other length wise, effectively taking up his entire bed. Why was this happening to him?

Looking down at the two, he realized that waking them would only cause more conflict. He'd be better off leaving them be. "Fine." He whispered to no one in particular. As long as he could get some sleep, he was happy.

Flicking off the light switch and returning to the bed, he gently pulled the covers up and over the two sleeping Ultimates. At least he was able to trust Chiaki not to kill him in his sleep.

That night, as he lay on the floor and listened to Chiaki's soft snoring, he silently thanked the Gods that he didn't have a roommate.

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><p><em>Thank you so much for reading this! I'm thinking that This'll have around 6 or 7 chapters. I already have it all planned out, so I should definitely get around to finishing! Don't even worry about that. Also, this is going to get very fluffy, so be prepared!<em>

_Again, thank you very much for reading and feel free to leave a favorite. Reviews are very much appreciated, and constructive criticism i always welcomed! I mean, I can't get better if I don't know what I'm doing wrong. But on that note, please refrain from hurtful reviews as they'll most likely upset me and kill my motivation._

_The more response this receives, the more likely I am to update faster!_


	2. Wanna Play?

He didn't know when, but somehow Nagito and Chiaki coming over at night had become a frequent thing. So frequent, in fact, that on this particular night he had left the door unlocked. At least with it unlocked he wouldn't have to burden himself with getting up to open it.

At the moment, it was around 9:45 at night. Soon the Monokuma announcement would play itself, just like it always did, and tell them to return to their cabins. After that, in about five to ten minutes Chiaki would show up, eventually followed by Nagito.

It had been like this for about a week now, and Hajime almost seemed to be used to it. He figured he could always just kick them out if he wanted, but he wasn't that cold. He even found that after a while he began to enjoy their company. Even if, just slightly.

So, when he heard a soft knock at his door, he wasn't surprised at all. "It's open!" He called. Chiaki sure was early tonight. It wasn't even ten yet, so why..

He quickly sat up, suddenly much more alert than he had been. What if the person at his door wasn't Chiaki? What if it was someone who had come to murder him and he had left his door unlocked like a total idiot? What if-

Looking over his shoulder as the knob turned, he found himself holding his breath. Beads of sweat were forming on his forehead as multiple scenarios of who it could be played themselves in his mind. Then, like an idiot, he yelled, "I-I've got a knife!" towards the opening door. He definitely did _not_ have a knife.

The door opened quickly now, and with an excited smile on his face, Nagito rushed inside. "Really? Are you planning to kill me with it?" He said, a bit too happily.

Hajime only stared up at him, a deep blush forming on his cheeks due to the misunderstanding. "N-Nagito?" He asked. Then, after realizing that the person at the door didn't pose as a threat, he sighed added, "Don't scare me like that." in an exhausted tone. About a week ago he never would have even considered the thought that he would one day be relieved at the sight of the Ultimate Lucky Student.

On the other side of the room, the white haired boy looked around in disappointment. "Hajime, I don't see a knife. Were you lying to me?"

In response, Hajime huffed and folded his arms, the book he was reading discarded onto the covers. "I thought you were someone else." He simply explained.

"Really? Like who? Nanami? I'd much rather you kill _me_ if possible. Although, who am I to get in the way of your plans?" After a second of thought he added, "But it'd be a dead giveaway if you killed someone in your own room, you know? If you'd like to tell me what you're planning, I could-"

"I'm not killing anyone!" Hajime quickly blurted. As much as he metaphorically felt like killing a certain someone who stood in his room, he would never actually consider doing it for real.

"What a shame.." Nagito said, clearly disappointed.

"I don't think it's a shame." Said a new voice out of the blue, causing both boys to visibly jump and turn around. "Friends shouldn't kill friends." She finished.

The first to recover from the initial shock of being interrupted was Nagito. "Hello, Nanami! Looks like I beat you here today." He laughed cheerfully.

"...Yup." She simply agreed, setting down her bag and moving to sit on Hajime's desk chair.

"Chiaki, how did you-?!" Hajime cut himself off, still shocked from her sudden arrival. How in the world had she come in without making so much as a single sound? He hadn't noticed her at all.

"The door was unlocked." She explained, as if that cleared anything up.

"That doesn't explain how-" The rest of his sentence was never heard, as four bells chimed and the Monokuma announcement flickered to life.

"Ahem... Hope's Peak Academy's School Trip Executive Committee has an announcement to make..." It started. "It is now 10:00 p.m.. Please return to your rooms and relax. Let the sound of the ocean gently rock you to sleep. Now then, sweet dreams everyone. Good Niiiiight..."

Monokuma's sickly sweet announcement hung in the air for what seemed like minutes. The three students were silent as they let the sad reminder that they were stuck on this island sink back into their minds.

Hajime furrowed his brows and had to restrain himself from groaning. If only they weren't being forced to kill each other, then maybe he'd be having fun here. Things would be different if only Monokuma hadn't shown up, he thought bitterly.

Returning his attention to the other two in the room, he asked the question that had been bugging him since Nagito had shown up earlier that night. "What are you two doing here so early?" Usually they wouldn't be here until well after the Monokuma announcement had played.

"What? You aren't happy to see us?" Nagito joked, which made Hajime's patience towards the boy only grow thinner.

"That's not it." Hajime responded a little too quickly, and Nagito smiled up at him from the seat he'd claimed on the floor.

Chiaki then spoke up. "I came because I saw Nagito come." She said. That sounded a bit...What?! No! He quickly wiped that thought from his mind.

"What's the matter, Hajime?" Nagito asked curiously.

Sitting back down on his bed, he looked at the two with suspicion, and said what was on his mind. "I just...First, it was a nightmare and batteries. Then, it was 'my neighbor's being noisy' and 'check out my high score'. Now you don't even have a reason at all!" The other two were looking at him with blank stares, as if they didn't quite understand what he was talking about. "I think you guys are running out of excuses." Hajime finished, matter-of-factly.

"Do you want an excuse?" Nagito asked curiously, and Chiaki shifted in her chair.

Without a word, the short girl stood up from her previous spot and picked up her bag. To the other's surprise, the small bag was then opened, and flipped upside down. "Wanna play?" She asked, after emptying the bag's contents to reveal a mountain of games and handheld devices.

"Chiaki, what-"

"If you want an excuse, I can provide one...probably."

"Wow, Nanami! That's amazing!" Nagito exclaimed. "Who knew someone could fit so many games into such a small bag? I'd expect no less from the Ultimate Gamer!"

"We can play Mario Kart." She suggested, ignoring the other's compliment, as she handed Hajime a DS. "It's a good game for beginners, but it's quite competitive..." Then pursing her lips she added, "I won't go easy on you." in a stubborn sort of way.

Hajime was still shocked, eyes wide as he stared down at the girl who now sat on the floor next to Nagito. She reached back into the pile of games, most likely searching for the one she had just mentioned. When she found it, she pushed the small cartridge into the slot of a pink DS of her own, and looked up at him expectantly.

"Nagito plays winner." She stated.

Once Hajime regained his composure, he snorted, and opened the device. "You're on." He declared.

When both Chiaki and Nagito's faces lit up at his words, he inwardly chuckled. So, they really had run out of excuses. He figured he'd let it slide, just this once.

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><p><em>I'm very sorry if you're disappointed that this chapter seems a bit shorter than the last one! The reason for its shortness is because I just wanted to use this chapter to start establishing their growing relationships, you know? I also think this chapter gives a decent feel for what this story is going to be like in the future. I'll try my hardest to put out a longer chapter next time, but please don't be sad if it's the same as this one!<em>

_Anyway, thank you so much for continuing to read! If you happen to spot any typos, see anything that needs to be changed, or want to give me some helpful suggestions about my writing, feel free to leave a review. Honestly, I love seeing how you guys feel about my writing. It's what motivates me to write more!_


	3. Help Me Forget

On this particular night, no one said a word. The air in the room hung heavy with the murder of Mahiru and the execution of Peko. Their minds were replaying the sad events that led up to this moment, and whether they wanted to or not, they would not forget this.

The class trial was a long one and, not quite used to it, had exhausted them. After the event, they silently congregated to their usual meeting spot, fearing the thought of being alone at a time like this.

At least, that was the case for two of them. The other had enough decency to stay quiet.

Hajime felt like an idiot. It had been a week since the first murder, and he had been sure that it was over. There's no way it could happen again, he had told himself. There's no way these people were capable of another murder.

He was quickly proven wrong.

If only he'd payed more attention to what was happening around him. He should have been less trusting of the others when Monokuma showed them that screwed up video game. He should have known someone would play it. He should have stopped Fuyuhiko that night.

Lifting his head slightly to glance at the other two, he saw Chiaki sitting backwards in his desk chair with her eyes closed, her arms folded under her chin. Nagito was standing against the wall fiddling with his sleeve. His eyes suggested that he was thinking of something else though.

Hajime looked away and sighed. Sitting around in silence like this definitely wasn't good for their mental health. He had to say something, anything, to lighten the mood.

Taking a deep breath and finding his courage, he suddenly cleared his throat, drawing the other's attention towards him. "So...What's up?" He asked, with a pathetic looking smile plastered onto his face. Yeah, that was bad even for him.

Blinking at him in confusion, Chiaki looked up. "The ceiling." She responded truthfully, after a moment's thought.

Hajime was about to respond to her with a snide remark, but then, realizing she was being serious, he stopped himself. Really, did this girl grow up in a cave?

Nagito wasn't nearly as taken back as Hajime was at the gamer's ignorance, and simply laughed. "It's an expression, Nanami." He explained. "What Hajime _actually_ meant to say is, 'What are you doing?'."

As if she didn't quite believe him, she turned to look at Nagito doubtfully, then back to Hajime for confirmation. When she realized they were being truthful, she puffed her cheeks out and blushed. "...Nothing, really." She said, changing her previous answer to one more fitting of the situation.

Hajime couldn't just let that go. "Chiaki, why don't you know what that means?" He asked, Letting his curiosity get the better of him.

After a moment of thought, she sighed and responded. "I guess I just don't really get out much." She said. "Talking to other people takes a lot of energy, so I don't do it. I don't have many friends."

_'and yet, here you are.'_ He thought.

"I don't have many friends either." Nagito assured her with a smile.

Hajime saw the opportunity and seized it. "Gee, I wonder why?" He joked.

"It's probably because no one wants to burden themselves with someone like me." Nagito explained with a smile, not quite catching the sarcasm in other's tone. Hajime definitely wasn't expecting a serious answer, so he stayed quiet, and looked away.

Then, just like that, the conversation once again died down until they were left back where they had started; fiddling their thumbs in awkward silence. Hajime briefly thought that maybe it'd be better to politely ask them to leave.

Though when Nagito decided to speak up again, he didn't get a chance to follow through with his thoughts. "So, why is everyone being so quiet tonight?" he asked, causing Hajime to stare at him in disbelief. "This isn't like you guys at all." he finished as he turned to look in the other's direction.

"Two of our friends just died, and another one's in critical condition. You're asking us why we're being quiet?!" He nearly screamed. "Honestly, I can't believe you!"

The accused only raised an eyebrow and continued. "That's the reason?" He asked disappointedly, seeming to imply that the death of their friends was not a good enough reason to be silent.

The boy's answer only proved to infuriate Hajime more. Looking at Nagito in disgust and disbelief, he slowly shook his head from side to side. "Are you really that dense?" He asked. He knew Nagito was unaffected by the killings, but to not even understand why others would mourn was totally insane.

"What do you mean, Hajime?" Replied Nagito, honestly confused. He didn't understand why such a petty murder would cause two talented Ultimates such grief. "Their deaths will only make the Ultimates shine brighter when-"

"Stop it!" Chiaki yelled desperately, and they did. "I don't want to watch you two fight. Especially not over something like this.." She added quietly, eyes downcast, staring at a single spot on the floor like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

Hajime understood what she meant. Even if she didn't show it, this was just as hard for her as it was for him. Everyone dealt with situations differently, he figured. Maybe that even explained why Nagito acted the way he did. Or maybe Hajime was giving him a little too much credit.

With these thoughts swirling around in his mind, he quietly apologized to her. "Sorry.." He said. Nagito said nothing. He didn't really expect him to.

Again, the room fell silent.

Though this time, when Chiaki suddenly stood up and yawned, the silence was short lived. "Sleepy.." She drawled, as she rubbed her eyes.

"It _is_ fairly late." Nagito agreed, and Hajime suddenly felt more alone than ever. "Maybe we should leave. I'm sure Hajime would appreciate that."

To his surprise, he found that he couldn't disagree more.

Then, suddenly it hit him like a punch to the gut. He didn't want them to leave. He didn't want to be alone. He didn't want tomorrow to come.

As Chiaki said her goodbyes and walked towards the door, he panicked, too afraid to let them go. "U-um!" he stuttered, and they turned to him expectantly. Crap! He didn't know what he was supposed to say. Searching desperately for something that could possibly stop them from leaving, he blurted the first thing that came to his mind. "The bashful turtle...turtled up!" he choked out, pathetically.

The room was silent, and he mentally slapped himself. Where the hell did that come from?! Out of all the things he could have possibly said, he just had to say that, didn't he?

When the two exchanged glances, he felt like he wanted to die. He wished they'd hurry up and say something. Anything was better than the utter humiliation he was feeling beneath their judgmental gazes.

"...Was that supposed to be a joke, Hajime?" Nagito finally asked, putting an end to the dreadful silence.

Suddenly defensive, Hajime gasped with mock offense. "Of coarse it was. What else would it be?" He asked, happy to have delayed their departure.

"Ah, sorry for the misunderstanding." Nagito apologized "I was just under the impression that jokes were supposed to be funny."

Why that little...He was definitely making fun of him. He crossed his arms before speaking. "What? Are you saying you could do any better?" He asked, glaring daggers at the other boy. His tone clearly indicated that he was prepared for a challenge.

"No, I'm not saying that all!" Nagito defended, waving his hands in front of him to prove his point. "As terrible as that was, I doubt I could do any better than an Ultimate."

"Oh, really?" He teased, despite Nagito's claim. He hoped that the other two would understand what he was trying to do, and to prove his point he smirked at him expectantly.

Then, in sudden realization, Nagito smiled. "Well, if you insist, then I guess I can't decline. What kind of bagel is able to fly?" He asked, causing Chiaki to become even more confused than she already was.

"I dunno. What kind?" Hajime responded. In truth, he was a bit excited to hear the rest of Nagito's joke, and he wasn't really sure why.

"A plain bagel!" He exclaimed and laughed awkwardly. When the only response he got was Hajime's pessimistic gaze, he shrugged and said, "I told you I couldn't do any better."

"How about this one?" Hajime laughed, a little doubtful about whether or not he should continue. "What do you get when you cross and elephant with a rhino...?" Then, after pausing for dramatic effect, he blurted, "An elephino!"

Nagito shook his head. "Well, at least we know you're not the Ultimate Comedian." He said, causing Hajime to roll his eyes.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny, Nagito." He said with obvious sarcasm as he sat back down on his bed and crossed his legs.

"I have one...I think" Chiaki began, and they both leaned in closer to hear. "What's Zelda's favorite breakfast side dish...? The answer is a sausage Link." Neither boy understood what she meant, but they both laughed, glad she was able to join them.

After a few more bad jokes, they ended up forgetting just what had happened on that island the day before to make them so quiet. And after a few more, they ended up forgetting about the entire island itself.

As they moved back to their seats, Hajime looked at their smiling faces and thought that maybe this strange friendship was meant to be. Even on this messed up island, surrounded by strangers and thoughts of murder, it was only these two that were able to put his mind at ease.

He wondered why he didn't realize this before.

But in the end, terrible jokes proved to be more tiring than they had at first anticipated. And that night, for the second time, they all fell asleep in the same cabin.

* * *

><p><em>Have any of you watched Nicob's lp of this game? If so, then I hope you appreciated Nagito's bagel joke. Also, Hajime's jokes came from Peko's Free Time Events. His terrible jokes are canon and that makes me so happy.<em>

_Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It's a bit longer than the last one, so that's good. I was a little doubtful about whether or not I should incorporate the murders into this story. I ended up doing it because I figured it would be a good thing to show some of the sad times alone with the happy times. You can't have good fluff without a little angst, right? Wow, I'm starting to sound like Nagito._

_As always, thank you for reading and feel free to leave a review!_


	4. Winning isn't everything

The question came so suddenly that he had to wonder if he heard her right.

"Well?" She asked persistently, when he didn't immediately respond. Her pink eyes scanned him as if searching for the answer to her question through his movements.

Looking from her to Nagito, then back again, he awkwardly scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously. "Um...can you repeat the question?" He asked. He didn't think he was being very convincing. He was sure they could tell he already knew what she had asked.

Nagito merely sighed before responding to the question that wasn't aimed towards him. "She asked if you've ever had a crush on anyone before." He clarified. "Honestly Hajime, I must say I'm a bit curious as well."

To his dismay, hearing it for a second time didn't prove to be any easier, and his eyes widened despite himself. Suddenly, the room felt much more hot than it had before and he tugged on his collar to cool himself.

"W-why do you ask?" He stuttered, mentally hitting himself for being so pathetic. If the heat on his cheeks was anything to go by, then he was definitely blushing.

It was now her turn to be put on the spot. She paused and looked away. "No reason.." She said, causing Hajime even more distress.

"Don't 'no reason' me!" He retorted, pointing an accusing finger in her direction. "You can't just ask something like that without a reason! It's absurd!"

As she looked at his blushing face and shifty eyes, she inwardly sighed. She honestly hadn't expected this kind of reaction. The reason why she had asked Hajime and not Nagito was because she figured she would get a better response out of him. There was no telling what Nagito would say to something like that, so she chose to ask Hajime. It Looked like she was wrong again. If this friendship were a game, she'd be losing. She almost laughed at the thought.

Deciding it was useless, she leaned on the desk with her elbow, and cupped her hand to her cheek for support. "Never mind." She sighed.

"Huh?! Now you're just taking it back?! You can't do that! That's cheating!" The distressed boy yelled, in an attempt to use a comparison that she might understand.

Looking back towards him with a blank expression, she suppressed a yawn. Maybe staying up late last night wasn't such a good idea. "Don't worry about it." She assured him. "I just..wanted to know."

In sudden realization, Hajime nearly gasped. Could this be what they called the fabled 'love confession'?! If so, then what was he supposed to do? If he said yes would she be jealous? Did he want her to be jealous? Was jealousy a good thing?

Nagito Suddenly laughed, pulling Hajime away from his jumbled thoughts. "Wow, Chiaki. I never expected something like this from someone like you." Oh God, He'd almost forgotten that Nagito was there. As if things weren't already awkward enough, the white haired boy decided to keep talking. "I guess in the end everyone has a surprising side to them. But something like this is..."

Chiaki spared Nagito no more than an annoyed glance before swiftly pulling out a PS Vita from her skirt pocket. Deciding she'd had enough, she pulled up a game screen and held the device out for the other's to see.

On the screen was a picture of a confused looking girl surrounded by five or six handsome men. The side of the screen had buttons that read 'New Game', 'Continue', and 'Extras'. To top it off, in the background a very generic anime song with a female vocalist was playing.

"For this." The gamer declared slowly, as if checking to see if they now understood.

After glancing it over apprehensively, Nagito nodded. His hand held to his chin as he surveyed the odd looking game. "I know I'm no expert on gaming, but this is a dating sim, isn't it?" When she nodded he smirked, glad to have guessed right.

Hajime was still confused, and hoping that he wasn't the only one who didn't understand where this was going, he awkwardly laughed. "I get that this is a dating sim, but how does that have anything to do with me having a crush?" He asked, feeling like an idiot for thinking this was a love confession. Since Chiaki was the one who asked it, he should have known it would have something to do with a game.

Pulling the game away from them and turning off the device, she shrugged. "It doesn't...not really." then, after watching him become even more confused, she added, "I'm just not good at them is all." in a quiet voice.

Hajime furrowed his brows in confusion, but Nagito on the other hand, nodded in understanding. "So you wanted to know if Hajime had experience with this sort of thing, right? Were you hoping he could help you?" To Hajime's surprise, Chiaki nodded. Once again, Nagito had been spot on.

"If you wanted help with your game, you could have just asked." Hajime said as he sighed in relief. Still, he was a bit surprised Chiaki played these kinds of games. He never would have expected her to be someone who's interested in romance.

"Too bad, Chiaki." Nagito said out of the blue, causing both her and Hajime to look at him. "In the game, the point is to try to date men, right? Hajime probably couldn't help you with that seeing as he's also a guy."

Realizing her mistake, chiaki's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't thought about that...If that was the case, then she figured she might as well drop the subject. Frowning, she sighed and closed her eyes in defeat. Perhaps she'd never figure out how to play these silly dating games after all.

Sensing the change in Chiaki's demeanor, Hajime panicked. "No, it's fine, Chiaki! I actually think I might be able to help. I mean, I like boys-" Then, realizing what he'd just said, he gasped and covered his mouth with both hands. The other two only stared, waiting for him to continue. "Girls too!" He blurted, eyes wide. Then, realizing there was no going back, he added, "Everyone, I guess." in a quiet voice as he looked away.

Nagito stared at him for what seemed like minutes, his heart racing. Of coarse he was the one who purposely manipulated the other into saying it, but part of him still wasn't expecting it. Afraid to break the silence, he didn't say a word. Didn't move. Chiaki smiled at Hajime.

"That's pretty normal...I think." She said in a way that didn't sound very convincing. Though despite her doubtfulness, hajime reflexively let out a deep breath, like an accidental sigh that he didn't know he was holding in.

Nagito paused to regain his composure. "So then it's safe to assume that you _have_ had a crush before, right Hajime?" He asked, trying his best to sound like his usual self.

"Well, yeah... I mean, haven't you?" Hajime retorted, and all eyes turned to The Ultimate Lucky Student expectantly.

Nagito merely blinked at the accusation. "Actually, I don't particularly think that I have." He said as he wracked his brain, searching for any memories of someone he once held dear in a romantic sort of way. "Not that I can think of, at least." He decided, when none came.

Hajime's face turned to one of doubt, but he nodded nonetheless. Chiaki did nothing, but he knew she understood.

"I like you guys, though." Nagito suddenly added, and he wasn't quite sure what he meant by that yet.

* * *

><p>The next night they found themselves all huddled together on Hajime's floor, a blanket wrapped around their shoulders to protect them from the cold night air.<p>

In between the two boys sat the Ultimate Gamer, PS Vita in her hands, and blood lust in her eyes. To her right was Nagito, and to her left, Hajime. They were both currently peering over her shoulders to watch the intense gameplay on her tiny screen.

At the moment, she was in the middle of fighting a really intense boss battle, and the pressure was on. Her health was low, so that meant that even one tiny misstep could result in a game over. Neither boy said a word as they intensely watched her Ultimate skill at work.

Hajime's breath hitched when she barley avoided a fatal blow, dodging at just the right moment. She used her time wisely, not failing to notice a health pack materialize near the edge of the arena, and waited for the perfect opportunity. When one came, she pressed the square button causing her character to leap into the air before swiftly sliding across the floor to retrieve the extra life.

Now, with her health full, her enemies stood no chance. Nagito's hot breath on her neck and Hajime's sweaty palms gripping tightly to her arm barley caused her concentration to waver. It was now time for the finishing blow.

Quickly tapping buttons in a matter that would seem random to a normal person, she activated her character's final move and a flash of white light moved across the screen. Hajime and Nagito held their breath in anticipation.

Once the final move was over and 'You Win' was displayed in bright red across the screen, both Hajime and Chiaki threw their fists up in the air and cheered in celebration. Nagito sat calmly next to them, clapping politely for the gamer's victory.

"Wow, Nanami, that was amazing!" He exclaimed. "For a second there I was a bit worried you weren't going to make it out alive, but I should have known better! I mean, you are The Ultimate Gamer after all. There's no way your hope to win would be beaten by such petty video game! Right, Hajime?"

Hajime, who was still caught up in the moment, stopped congratulating Chiaki and looked over to Nagito. "What was that?" He asked with an excited smile still on his face. He'd been so into watching the game that he hadn't noticed Nagito was saying anything.

"I was just saying how-"

"Hey, hey, check it out." Chiaki interrupted, calling the other's attention back to the game screen. "New character unlocked." She declared as she pointed to a picture of a muscular man with a chain around his neck.

Nagito chuckled. "He kind of looks like Nidai, doesn't he?" He pointed out and the other two laughed and agreed.

* * *

><p>Getting up, Chiaki pulled her arms above her head and stretched. After all that excitement she was feeling pretty sleepy and Sitting on the floor earlier wasn't easy on her back. Especially since she had been bent over a game the entire time. Considering how often she spent staring down at a screen, it truly was a miracle that her posture wasn't already messed up.<p>

Below her, still on the floor, she could hear that Nagito and Hajime had begun to argue over something she didn't really care to listen to. The two were always fighting over something ridiculous, so after a while she just kinda learned to drown it out.

Though when they turned their attention up towards her, she wasn't able to ignore them any longer. "So, what do you think, Nanami?" The white haired boy asked with a smile. Hajime on the other hand was scowling. His attitude was quick to change when faced with Nagito, he realized.

"...huh?" She said after staring down at the two with her mouth slightly parted.

Hajime scoffed. "Don't you listen?" He asked in an annoyed tone. "Nagito just said he thinks he could beat you in a game."

"Um.." She said, failing to understand what the big deal was. There was always a possibility, she supposed, but she had to agree that it didn't seem very likely. She'd never been beat before. "It's not impossible." She decided upon, and Hajime's eyes narrowed in disbelief.

Something about his betrayed expression must have cut through the girl's pretenses because she found herself asking why it was so important. When Hajime merely tsked and turned away, Nagito answered for him.

"I understand why you're so upset, Hajime." He began. "If I heard someone like me saying they could outdo an Ultimate at their Ultimate skill I would also be outraged! Just the thought makes me angry. But, that's not what I'm saying!" After receiving confused glances from the other two, he continued. "There's no possible way I could beat The Ultimate Gamer at a normal video game, but what if the game wasn't a normal video game?"

"Just get on with it." Hajime snapped, eager to finish this argument.

"Sorry, sorry." He apologized as he held his hands up defensibly. "What I'm trying to say is.. What if the game was one that required luck and not skill?"

Hajime quirked and eyebrow, and Chiaki perked up as if she was now intrigued.

"I know my talent is nothing compared to both of your's, but it's a talent nonetheless." He finished.

"I wonder..." Said Chiaki, deep in thought.

"Whoa, hold on a second. You're not actually considering what this guy is saying, are you?"

"Well, It wouldn't hurt to try it out...probably."

Realizing that the two had already made up their minds, Hajime quieted down and waited for them to test their theory. "How about a simple game of rock paper scissors?" Nagito asked, and she nodded in response.

"Sounds good." She said.

Hajime watched as Nagito stood up and faced the shorter girl, determination clear in his eyes. Chiaki was nothing to scoff at either. As her need to win shone through her every movements, The spiky haired boy quickly realized that this would be the most intense game of rock paper scissors he would ever witness in his lifetime. The thought almost made him a little excited.

As they each placed their fists into the palm of their left hands and said their good lucks, Hajime noticed his heart beating a little faster. What the hell, why was he getting so worked up over a stupid game of rock paper scissors? It's not like there was any consequences to losing or anything.

"Alright, here goes." Nagito said, his voice barley above a whisper. Chiaki once again nodded in indication that she was ready, her eyes never leaving his.

As the two chanted the three words in order, Hajime's eyes struggled to keep up with the movements of their hands.

"Rock" said Nagito.

"Paper" Chiaki returned.

"Scissors..."

"Shoot!" They both shouted in unison and when the movement stopped, Hajime eye's widened at the results. He never would have expected this. Not in a million years.

It was a tie.

All three of them went silent as they stared at the two hands. both were forming the symbol for scissors. No one dared to move.

As they continued to scan the results, perhaps in denial about the whole ordeal, the one to break the silence was none other than their audience when he struggled to stifle a giggle. The other two quickly turned their heads towards him, and when he caught sight of their baffled expressions, he couldn't help it when he cracked up and spluttered with laughter.

They say laughter is contagious, and that theory held true as the two Ultimates looked back at each other and found that they were also smiling. As they stared at each other, their smiles soon turned to giggles, then full blown laughter within seconds.

Laughing far too hard, Hajime held onto his sides to try to keep himself together. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he laughed like this. "This is too much!" He gasped between giggles, which only made the other two laugh harder.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, Hajime looked up at the the other two. As he caught sight of their smiling faces and listened to their laughter, he briefly wondered if these cabins were sound proof.

* * *

><p><em>Wow, that was the hardest chapter I've ever had to write in my entire life. I don't even know why, but for some reason I just kept getting stuck and not knowing what to put next. So, I'm sorry if that shows at all in my writing. For some reason I feel like each chapter I post is worse than the one before...<em>

_Anyway, looks like we've finally got some hints at romance in the first part of the chapter...Oh God, I'm really sorry if Hajime's confession to being bi or pan or whatever seemed ooc or just awkward in any way. I had to break the ice somehow and this was the only way I could think of to do it. the second part of the chapter was pretty much an apology for the first part. Heh.._

_Oh, and before I forget, the idea for the second part of the chapter came from Ben Omell! They suggested that they would like to see the trio play a game involving luck, and I said that that sounded perfect. So thank you very much for the idea, Ben! _

_Lastly, thank you to everyone for leaving a review, follow, or favorite! I can't even explain how much it motivates me to write more. This is going to have at least two more chapters, so I need all the motivation I can get ;u;_


	5. I'm Not Scared

The night Chiaki was late, Hajime found himself left alone with Nagito. It was odd for her to be late since she generally showed up around the same time each night, but he decided not to think on it too much, figuring she was busy with other things.

As he and Nagito sat together in the same room, neither knew quite what to say. They were used to having a third party around to lighten the mood and without her there to balance them out they seemed to be at a loss for words.

As time continued to pass ever so slowly, Hajime found himself trying to come up with conversation topics, but failing each time. His thoughts were cut short though, when Nagito suddenly giggled under his breath, causing Hajime to quickly jump at the conversation.

"What's so funny?" He asked.

Nagito turned towards him and smiled before answering. "To tell you the truth, I'm really happy, Hajime." He began. "Even with everything you've learned about me, you still allow me to be here."

"Don't get the wrong idea." Hajime snapped, scowling at Nagito's accusation. "I just..." _enjoy your company_ "don't want to leave someone like you alone when I don't understand you at all."

"Personally, I think it shows great courage to try to understand something you don't understand. You are definitely somebody who embodies hope." Nagito declared, and Hajime struggled not to groan. "I wonder what kind of light your talent is going to unleash..."

Beginning to lose his patience, Hajime sighed and asked the Ultimate Lucky Student to tell him more about himself. He figured it would be more interesting than their current topic. Nagito quickly obliged by saying he was willing to talk about whatever Hajime wanted to hear, and began telling stories about his past experiences. The stories started out simple, but soon became so convoluted that Hajime had to struggle to keep up with them. As the other spoke, he found that however interesting the stories were, there was a limit to how much he could take.

Either not noticing Hajime's confusion, or choosing to ignore it, Nagito continued with his current story. "After I was taken in by the police, I checked out the numbers without giving it much thought...Surprise! I won 300 million dollars! Even I was amazing by this splendid act of good luck." He said, airily smiling down at no one in particular as if remembering the events he spoke of.

It was no use. Hajime's head was starting to hurt from the absurdity of it all.

"And right before I entered Hope's Peak Academy..." He began before pausing, hesitance clear on his features. "...No, I shouldn't tell this story." He decided, leaving Hajime with an unsatisfying sense of incompleteness.

He didn't understand why Nagito would spend so much time talking his ear off only to leave his story unfinished. He didn't press for more though, figuring there must be a reason for his hesitance. Despite that, he felt like he and Nagito grew a little closer.

"I wonder why Chiaki isn't here yet." Hajime said in an attempt to keep the conversation going. As much as he was confused by Nagito's stories, he didn't want the awkward silence from before to return.

"Perhaps she forgot?" The other suggested.

"There's no way she'd forget. We've been doing this for weeks."

"Yeah, I know."

"Then why did you-" Hajime started, but was cut short when he heard the click of the door. "Chiaki!" He gasped when it opened and he caught sight of her.

"Good evening." She greeted casually as she entered. When she got in, she had hardly enough time to close the door and slip off her shoes before she was bombarded with questions.

"Where have you been?" Hajime asked her impatiently. It wasn't like he was worried, he was just curious, is what he told himself.

The short girl was taken back by the question. She was late? Looking over to the clock that hung on the wall, she realized he was right. Hm, that was odd. She didn't even notice.

"I was talking to Sonia and I guess I lost track of time." She apologized.

"So, is that where you got that bag?" Nagito asked, taking note of the small shopping bag she was holding.

"Ah." She gasped as if she just now remembered about it, and held it up for them to see. "Yup. When Sonia approached me, I was thinking of stuff we could all do together...she told me that this was a fun thing for a sleepover, so I brought it." She explained.

"Well, what is it?" Hajime questioned, ignoring the fact that she just referred to their meeting as a 'sleepover'.

As she opened the bag to simply reveal a movie, he felt sort of revealed. A movie sounded like a good idea. That was, until he realized what type of movie she was holding. "It's called 'Nightmare on Elm Street'." She stated, as she read the title. "Sonia said it was pretty funny, though I'm not sure what it's about..."

Hajime's jaw dropped at Sonia's obviously false description. "Funny?! Chiaki, don't you realize what type of movie that is?" When she only stared at him in response, he answered the question for her. "It's a horror movie!" He shouted.

"Sonia's taste in movies is quite impressive." Nagito pointed out. "I knew she enjoyed reading about serial killers, but this is...something else." He said as he laughed, and Hajime had to agree.

"So you don't want to watch it?" She asked, and her expression seemed to deflate. "How disappointing..." She was really hoping they would enjoy this.

Not sensing the change in her demeanor, Hajime scoffed. "No! I definitely don't want to watch it." He stated. He wasn't good with horror movies, and he did not want them to find that out.

Though his want to not have them find out was quickly crushed when Nagito said, "I agree. Hajime might get scared if we watch that type of movie, you know." and the accused suddenly sat up straight and turned to look at him, offense clear on his features.

"What?! What makes you think that?!" He asked. His hurt expression failing to make Nagito feel any sympathy.

"I didn't mean to offend you." Nagito assured. "I only assumed, since you were so against the idea." He finished with an apologetic smile, only irritating Hajime further.

Quickly changing his mind due to the accusation, the brunette suddenly stood up. To the other's surprise, he waltzed over to where Chiaki was standing, and snatched the movie from her hands.

"Huh? What are you doing, Hajime?" Nagito asked. "Did you decide to change your mind?"

Sending the white haired boy a dirty look, he wasted no time in turning on the small wall mounted television and placing the movie into the DVD player. That would show them, he thought.

"Ah, so you really did want to watch it." Chiaki said with a relieved smile. "I'm glad."

"Should we turn off the lights?" Nagito asked and Hajime was sure he was doing this on purpose.

Though when Chiaki agreed that turning off the lights would make for an ideal movie night, Hajime could do nothing but agree as well, in fear of being called a coward again. As she flicked off the light switch and sat on the bed next to Nagito, Hajime hurried to do the same. He ended up on Nagito's left side while Chiaki sat to his right.

"Ah, this is exciting!" Was the last thing Hajime remembered Nagito saying before he began to experience the biggest regret of his life.

* * *

><p>This was pure torture. For the past hour and a half he'd been spending his time either nervously waiting for a jump scare, screaming at said jump scare, using Nagito as a protective shield, or excusing himself to go to the bathroom. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take.<p>

"Hajime."

He was going to see this in his dreams tonight, he just knew it. That was, if he even managed to fall asleep at all. He wasn't sure that sleep would be possible in his current state. What if the horrible events in the movie were actually true? Would he never sleep again?

"Hajime!"

He just wanted this terrible movie to be over with. Who's idea was it to watch a horror movie in the first place? Oh right, it was Sonia's. He'd definitely have to have a talk with her tomorrow. No more horror movies. Never give Chiaki a horror movie again. Never even mention a horror movie ever again. Never even-

"HAJIME!"

Suddenly roused from his thoughts, his eyes snapped open and his head jerked up. "Huh? What? Is it over?" He asked, hopefully. When had the light turned on?

"It's been over for the past five minutes." Nagito said. "I was starting to wonder if you'd actually fallen asleep. Was it really that boring to you?"

After looking towards the TV to see if the movie really was over, Hajime sighed in relief. "Haha, yeah. Totally boring. I couldn't even stay awake." He was obviously lying.

"I see...Well, since it's over, if you don't mind, could you possibly let go of my arm? I think it's starting to lose circulation."

Eyes widening, he looked down to realize that he was, in fact, clinging onto Nagito's left arm for dear life. "Sorry!" He gasped, as he quickly released him and hurriedly scooted away to put some distance between them. He hadn't even noticed what he was doing. He hoped he wasn't like that the entire time.

"What a disappointment..." He heard Chiaki say, and he turned his head to look to her. "I wasn't expecting the movie to be so fake. Sorry." She apologized as she pulled the movie out from the DVD player.

Nagito laughed. "Don't worry about it, Chiaki! Even though the acting was terrible, it was better than doing nothing all night."

"Y-yeah..So fake..." Hajime agreed. He felt nauseous.

"I guess I'll have to tell Sonia that we didn't like it." Chiaki said after sighing. "I hope she doesn't mind."

As she returned the disk to it's case and picked up her bag, Nagito stood up as well. "I guess we should be leaving then." He announced. "It's gotten fairly late."

"Yup." Chiaki agreed. "Good night." She directed the last part towards Hajime, and he struggled not to say anything.

"Good night, Hajime." Nagito said as well, as he slipped on his shoes and prepared to leave. "I hope you don't have any nightmares. Though I doubt you would, considering how boring the movie was to you."

"Y-yeah."

"Even if you do have a nightmare, I doubt it would come true like in the movie." Chiaki assured him as she began to walk towards the door. Then, after pausing, she added, "...Probably.", and Hajime cursed her constant doubtfulness under his breath.

Finally, he realized he couldn't keep up this facade, and decided to swallow his pride. " W-wait!" He shouted, just in time, and they turned around to listen to what he had to say. "C-could you um...you know...stay?" He stuttered, and they smiled at him because they knew.

"I don't see a problem with that." Nagito agreed. "And you, Chiaki?"

"Nope. No problem." She responded, and Hajime began to wonder if they had just been messing with him the entire time.

Though once Chiaki set down her bag and came to sit next to him on his bed, he didn't have much time to think on it. "What are you-" He began, but cut himself off when she suddenly lay down on his pillow.

"Sleepy.." She yawned as she pulled his blanket up to her neck.

He was about to get up, but when Nagito flicked off the light switch and lay down on the bed as well, he could do nothing but watch.

Now stuck in between the two Ultimates, he tried to get a grasp of his situation. Chiaki lay against the wall to his left side, and to his right, was Nagito. Due to the lack of space, half of the boy's body hung off the side of the bed.

"There's not enough room for all three of us!" Hajime protested when he saw this, still sitting up. His protest didn't seem to hold his usual tone of defiance though, so the other's knew he was just pretending to hate this.

"Then let's make room." Nagito suggested, as he grabbed onto the boy's wrist and pulled him down so that he was laying on the bed with them as well.

"H-hey..!" Hajime gasped, halfheartedly. He had no energy left for this.

When Chiaki moved to wrap her arms around his waste, and pulled him close, he felt himself blush. His blush only deepened when Nagito too grabbed hold of him with his frail arms, and scooted in as close as he could, as to not fall off the bed.

His heart beating fast, Hajime forced himself to stay quiet, and attempted to calm his breathing. He'd never been in this sort of situation, so he wasn't used to it at all. Sure, they'd all slept in the same cabin before, but never all in the same bed. Never this close.

The two pairs of arms that were wrapped around him felt foreign and odd. Even so, he didn't hate it. The warmth they were providing was proving to be addicting, and he even began to grow accustomed to their company. At this close proximity, he could even smell Chiaki's fruity shampoo.

After he grew bored of intensely staring up at the ceiling without blinking, he slowly began to allow himself to relax. He could hear Chiaki's soft breathing in his left ear, and at the moment that was the only sound in the room. He assumed she was already asleep.

"Hey, Nagito?" He whispered, and the other responded with a questioning moan. "Don't get used to this." He warned, in a voice that didn't sound very threatening.

The white haired boy only quietly giggled at the other's warning, and nuzzled his head further into the crook of Hajime's neck so that he could feel his warm breath on his skin. "Of coarse." He replied, and Hajime could almost hear the smirk in his voice.

Later that night, when he slowly began to fall asleep in their arms, he knew he wasn't going to have a nightmare. At least, not tonight. They would never allow that.

* * *

><p><em>In the beginning of the chapter, when Nagito and Hajime were talking, I had to suppress my urge to write "Hope fragment obtained!". I guess that part was just a bit of foreshadowing of Nagito's final FTE. I'm not going to write the final FTE into this story, but I thought it would serve as a good reminder that they're still on this island and Nagito is still sick..<em>

_Anyway, I actually kind of enjoyed writing this chapter. I took my time with it since winter break is over and I'm back in school. I think updates will be slightly less frequent now, but nothing to worry about. Just maybe like a five or six day wait instead of two._

_So I hope you enjoyed this! As always, thank you for sticking with me, and feel free to let me know what you think._


	6. Pigtails and Pink Bows

Tonight crept up on him, which was stupid because they'd been doing this every night for weeks, and he should have been used to it by now. Maybe it was because lately the days seemed to be slowly melding together. Or maybe it was because he somehow still found their friendship hard to believe.

Either way, ever since the horror movie they'd been sleeping together more and more often. Hajime told them he was fine now, but they insisted, and he soon found himself growing accustomed to their presence in his bed. He wondered if he'd even be able to sleep without them at this point.

Bringing his attention back to the present, Hajime realized that none of them were speaking. The silence wasn't because of a murder or an execution, it was simply because the day had been boring, leaving them with nothing to talk about. The silence was more enjoyable than being alone though, and they found themselves basking in it.

In the middle of the floor, Chiaki lay on her stomach playing a boring looking game on a handheld device. Her slender legs were rhythmically swinging in the air behind her, and Hajime tried to keep himself from staring.

Instead, he found himself absentmindedly running his fingers through the fluffy white hair of Nagito, who was leaning against the bed, sitting cross legged and watching Chiaki play her game with a blank expression. His hair was soft, much softer than Hajime would have expected, and he began to wonder how in the world he got it like that.

Despite how soft it was, every so often his fingers would brush against a large knot, and the pale boy would flinch at the pain it brought. He never moved away from his touch though, and Hajime thought it was probably because he didn't want to upset him.

"Nagito?" He asked suddenly, putting an end to the comfortable silence. "Do you even brush your hair?" He realized it came off as a bit rude when he said it, but he was genuinely curious. It would certainly explain why it was so tangled and unruly.

Nagito's attention perked up at the question, but since Hajime's hand was still embedded in his hair, he didn't turn around. "It's a mess, isn't it?" He said as he laughed. "I can't say I've never brushed it, but whenever I do, it always turns out like this. After a while, I just kinda learned to leave it alone. Don't you think it suits trash like me?" He finished, and Hajime huffed in response. He hadn't meant it as an insult, but of coarse Nagito would turn it into one.

Suddenly, Chiaki shut off her game and they both looked to her in surprise. As she sat up from her previous spot on the floor and turned to them, they watched her, curious as to what she was going to do next.

Without a word, she scooted over to Nagito, and to their surprise, sunk her hands into his hair as well. Nagito let out a surprised gasp, but other than that he didn't protest. As she slowly ran her fingers through his tangled hair, he looked to the side and nervously fidgeted with his sleeve, most likely uncomfortable with the sudden attention.

"Um, Chiaki, may I ask what you're doing?" He questioned, as she continued to analyze his hair.

"Hmm..." She mumbled, ignoring Nagito's question. Pulling her hands away, she turned towards Hajime with a determined expression on her face. "Hajime, do you know what this means?" She asked, in an urgent tone.

"Not really..." He responded, failing to understand what she was getting at.

Not wasting a second, she abruptly stood up and scurried off to the bathroom, leaving the two confused boys alone in the other room. After no more than a minute, they were surprised to see that when she returned she was holding various hair care products such as brushes, combs, hairspray, conditioner, and hair ties.

Looking over the products in her hands, Nagito's eyes slightly widened in fear and understanding. "Hey now, you're not seriously thinking about..." He began, but cut himself off when he realized it was useless to resist. Once Chiaki got her mind set on something, like beating a game, there was no changing it. "If it's not too much to ask, please be gentle." He requested, at last.

Chiaki nodded in affirmation before looking towards Hajime. "Do you want to help..?" She asked him in a hopeful tone. "It'll be kinda like a game...I think."

Looking from Chiaki's expectant expression, to Nagito's hesitant one, he sighed. "Sure, why not?" He decided to Nagito's dismay, and Chiaki's eyes lit up. She definitely wasn't the type of girl that enjoyed makeovers and things, but she seemed to be comparing it to a game, if that made any sense. Hajime figured the game she was previously playing must have been extremely boring.

"I'm glad." She responded as she sat down in front of Nagito and placed the hair care products to her side.

If this were a game, it would most certainly be a mini game, and she refused to lose.

* * *

><p>thirty minutes and a bucket of wasted hair care products later, Chiaki and Hajime stood admiring their work. Well, admiring might be a bit of a stretch. It was more like they were critically analyzing it. Their faces were scrunched in detest.<p>

Hajime scoffed at their wasted efforts. "Is it supposed to look exactly the same?" He asked bluntly.

"I don't think so..." Chiaki responded doubtfully, her eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Maybe we didn't use enough hairspray?"

"I think you used plenty!" Nagito quickly objected, raising his hands in front of himself defensively.

Squinting her eyes and leaning in closer to get a better look, Chiaki decided that it was, despite their efforts, exactly the same. "How disappointing..." She sighed, in defeat.

Nagito laughed as he awkwardly rubbed a hand to the back of his head. "I told you it was impossible..." He reminded them with a shrug.

Sighing, Chiaki picked up a small hand mirror that had previously been discarded on the bed, and handed it to him. She didn't realize that doing other people's hair was so exhausting. After this, she had a new found respect for hairdressers.

Once Nagito received the mirror, he turned it towards himself in order to see what sort of damage the other two had Inflicted. He figured that whatever they had done, it couldn't possibly be any worse than it already was. Not that he really cared about his looks.

Staring into the mirror at his reflection, he merely blinked. "Well, it's not _completely_ the same." He observed. "You added pigtails."

"That was kinda like...a last resort." Chiaki explained, and Hajime suppressed a snicker.

"I see." He responded after a second, still analyzing his reflection in the mirror. "Though I have to admit, the pink bows are a bit over the top." He decided, and unable to hold it in any longer, Hajime burst into laughter.

"I can't...believe you...actually let us do that to you!" He exclaimed between fits of giggles, failing to notice the other's dangerous change in expression. "This is priceless!" He laughed.

As Chiaki and Nagito exchanged glances, Hajime began to notice that something was wrong. "Hey what's-" Was all he could manage before they leapt into action.

"Attack!" He heard one of them shout, and he barely had enough time to realize what was happening before he was tackled to the ground.

"H-hey!" He protested, but it was already too late. As they released him, and held out the mirror for him to see, he noticed one of the pink bows sitting proudly atop his ahoge. "Really?" He asked in an unamused tone.

"I think it suits you, Hajime!" Nagito laughed, and when Hajime only scowled back at him in response, he added, "At least we can mark 'Ultimate Hairdresser' off the list, huh?" in an optimistic tone.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny." He pouted, and the other two only smiled, obviously amused with his reaction.

Reaching up and unclipping the bow from his hair, he glanced back over to them. They were now moving towards the bed, and seemed to have already forgotten about their previous assault on him. He heard Chiaki yawn and mutter something about being 'exhausted from all the excitement' before crawling into the bed and under the covers.

Nagito laughed and pointed out that it was only eleven, but she was already too far gone. She must have stayed up late again last night. He reminded himself that next time she didn't go to sleep at the same time they did, he would have to get up to make sure she was at least in bed before dawn.

No matter how cute these two were, they were always such trouble.

Wait...what?

Suddenly realizing what he'd just thought, his eyes widened and his breath hitched. Why had he thought that? These two always annoyed him with their constant insistence on being here, so he'd always thought of them as just that; annoyances. That was how it started out anyway. Sure, after a while he began to put up with them, he'd even go as far as to say he enjoyed their company, but to think of them as cute was just beyond absurd.

With these thoughts swirling around in his mind, he looked down to his knees. His hands were balled into fists, and his eyebrows were drawn together in thought. When exactly had these two gone from being simple annoyances to two of the most important people in his life? That's what they were, he realized, and it was like a slap to the face. Why hadn't he realized this before?

"Hey, hey. " Chiaki suddenly said, abruptly drawing his attention back to the present. She was leaning back on her elbows and giving him a concerned look from her spot on the bed. "Is something wrong?" She asked, and his face flared red.

"Huh? No, of coarse not!" He denied, a bit too quickly, with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Nagito quirked an eyebrow at him in amusement before speaking. "She's right. You've been making a really scary expression for a while now." He pointed out in an apathetic sort of way. "I hope you're not still mad about the whole attacking you thing. It was only fair, seeing as-"

"Seriously, it's nothing!" He yelled, cutting the other off.

"Hm? Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

"Then why-"

Growing frustrated with their persistence, Hajime groaned. There was no way he was going to tell them what he was thinking. They'd definitely misinterpret it or make fun of him. But there was also no way they were going to let him off the hook without saying anything, so he hurried to think of something to tell them, anything at all that would get him out of telling the truth.

"I just..." He started, as he wracked his brain for a believable lie. "I was just... wondering how you two idiots keep getting into my cabin!" He blurted, and they blinked at him in surprise.

Aware that he hadn't sounded all that convincing, he quickly stood up and rushed out of the cabin, figuring tonight would be a great night for a walk on the beach.

* * *

><p><em>Hajime, your tsundere is showing! Heh...No, but at least he's finally starting to come to terms with his feelings. I'm proud of him.<em>

_Yeah, this is definitely not one of my favorite chapters. I hope they aren't that ooc or anything. As sort of an apology for this chapter, I made a comic of it! If you wanna check it out, here's the link:_

_dizplicity. deviantart(dotcom)/ art/KomaHinaNami-Comic-for-Finally-in-Love-507287834 (Just take out the spaces and change the (dotcom). There's also a link on my profile if you need it.)_

_Honestly, I think I just wanted to draw Nagito with pigtails...If you'd like to see me draw any other scene from this fic I'd be happy to take requests! Just let me know in a review or a PM._

_Anyway, thanks for reading! I'm pretty sure the next chapter is going to be the last (at least of the main story), so be prepared._


	7. Finally in Love

Another night loomed closer, but Hajime couldn't find it in himself to look forward to it. This entire week had been so exhausting and confusing, that by the time it was over, he still found himself denying that it ever happened.

He was tired, tired of everything, and he wished he could just leave here. Leave the island, the murders, the betrayal, the despair, and just forget about it all. He wanted that so much, so much it hurt, but then two faces came to mind, and he knew that he couldn't. He was so confused.

A week ago, when Monokuma had introduced them to the despair disease, he would be lying if he said he wasn't afraid that another murder would occur, but he had faith. Faith in his friends and in himself. He had faith that if they worked hard to keep the disease under control, then they would surely be able to stop it. But as soon as he had laid eyes on that eerily recorded video, that faith had been utterly crushed. He could still feel the pure terror he had felt as he'd watched it.

Looking back, he realized that there was nothing he could have done. By the time that video began to play, Ibuki and Hiyoko were already dead. He knew that, but even so, he couldn't help but think that if only he'd noticed Mikan's change in behavior, all of this could have been prevented.

Groaning, he ran a hand through his hair in frustration, and suppressed the urge to scream. He had been with Mikan the entire time, he should have noticed, but he didn't, and now three of his friends were dead. This was probably his fault, he thought with regret.

Earlier that day, after the class trial had ended, everyone had separated to go back to their own rooms, and Hajime had done the same. Being alone to his own thoughts proved to be extremely unsettling though, so he decided to go out for some fresh air, clear his mind, and hope to forget.

Now, having no idea how he'd gotten here, he suddenly found himself standing outside the hospital on the third island. Honestly, this was the last place he wanted to be, and he wondered why in the world his mind thought it would be a good idea to take him here.

Looking at this place only worsened his mood, and for some reason he couldn't get the sight of a sick Nagito laying in a hospital bed out of his mind. Out of everyone who was affected by the despair disease, Nagito's condition had by far been the worst, and he now realized that he had been terrified that he was going to lose him.

That wasn't right though, was it? He was supposed to hate him, maybe even wish for his death, but as he walked along the path, away from the hospital, he realized those feelings of hate had disappeared long ago. They were now replaced with something different, something he couldn't really explain, and he searched desperately for a word to describe it.

When none came, he decided to forget about it, all of it, and began to walk back towards his cabin.

* * *

><p>His cabin sat exactly where it always had, and he didn't know why he expected any different. Perhaps he found it odd that even after someone else's life had stopped, his kept moving, time kept moving, and there were people who would live their entire lives not knowing what had happened to them. He realized that he wanted something to be different, even something small, just to show that they had even lived at all.<p>

He pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind though, figuring the only thing he could do now was move on, and took a step towards his cabin. Eyes downcast, his hand wrapped around the knob, and the door opened with little resistance.

"Good evening, Hajime!" Came Nagito's sing song voice from inside.

Suddenly alert, Hajime's eyes snapped open, and his head jerked up. "Nagito, why are you-" He began, but cut himself off when he caught sight of the scene before him.

Inside his cabin, Nagito was sitting on his bed smiling and waving at him. On it's own, this would be fairly normal, but what surprised him was Chiaki, who was casually sitting on Nagito's lap. Eyes focused on her game, she acted like this was totally normal, and Hajime was pretty sure she didn't even notice him come in.

"W-what are you doing?!" He yelled after regaining his composure.

"Huh? Is something wrong?" Nagito asked, his expression caked with concern. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Quickly closing the door behind him, and storming over to his bed, Hajime looked at the two in disbelief. "Why are you two sitting like that? You look like some sort of couple!" He pointed out, and Nagito's eyes widened in sudden realization.

"Oh, I see." He said with a smirk, causing the other boy to become uneasy. "Hajime, are you jealous?"

He definitely was not jealous, but before Hajime could even voice his disagreement with that statement, Chiaki yawned and rubbed at her eye. "Good evening, Hajime." She drawled, and he had to wonder if she really just now noticed him. "I was beginning to worry that you'd never show up."

"This is my own cabin!" He reminded her, but she had already returned to playing her game, and most likely didn't even hear him.

"Hey, Chiaki are you even lis-" He began, but as Nagito suddenly grabbed onto his wrist and pulled, the rest of his sentence was never heard. "W-whoa!" He gasped as he lost his balance, and tumbled downwards towards the bed.

To his dismay he landed directly on top of Chiaki and Nagito, and with a yelp they all fell into a heap on his mattress. "Aw, man...My game." Chiaki pouted, and Hajime realized that she must have dropped it in the process of falling over.

"Sorry!" He gasped, but then when she simply shrugged, he turned to Nagito and scowled. "What the hell was that for?!" He asked in annoyance.

Nagito only laughed cheerfully at the question, seemingly unaffected from Hajime's anger. "You seemed really unhappy." He said, as if that explained anything, and flashed an apologetic smile.

"Yeah, well great. Now I'm even more unhappy. Good job." Hajime said sarcastically, but despite his words, he didn't even attempt to get up. Instead, still tired from the trial, he closed his eyes and sighed.

_'That's right, there was a trial.'_ He thought, and the entire room seemed to grow quiet as if they all remembered at exactly the same time.

The air began to grow heaving among them as an awkward silence settled in it's place, and he briefly wondered how he ever forgot. But then he realized it was because of them again. They always helped him forget, and he was thankful for that.

Slowly opening his eyes, he glanced towards Nagito as if to make sure he was still there. Seeing that he was, he subconsciously let out a sigh of relief. Every time he looked at the pale boy, he expected to see a hospital gown and an expression of agony. This was most likely the result of spending three days looking after him while he was sick, and Hajime hoped he would never have to go through that again.

Suddenly breaking the silence, Chiaki rolled off of nagito and sat up on the corner of the bed. They both looked to her expectantly, but her eyes were downcast and she seemed to have no intention of speaking. He wasn't sure, but Hajime could almost swear he saw her blushing.

Thinking over whether or not it was a good idea to speak, she let out a deep sigh, and summoned all her courage. "I..." she said when she found it, and both boys waited patiently for her to continue.

"I want my first kiss to be with one of you." She finished, her eyes never leaving a single spot on the floor, and Hajime's heart skipped a beat at her words.

It was more of a statement than a request, but he knew exactly what she meant, and he had no idea how to answer. It came so suddenly and unexpectedly that he had to wonder if he heard her right, so instead he just lay there, wide eyes fixed to her back, as he tried to comprehend what was happening.

Nagito was much faster to react, and seemed to have no problem with hearing her words. "Okay." He said, and when she slowly turned her head to him, he smiled.

She smiled back now, and Hajime realized that seeing him sick must have affected her just as much as it affected him. "Okay." She mirrored, and Nagito sat up next to her in order to fulfill her request.

The way Nagito pulled them together, and the way their heads tilted just right, and the way Chiaki struggled to find a place to put her hands just seemed all too perfect and right to be real.

Saying he was surprised would be an understatement. He was shocked, bewildered, utterly aghast. Any of these were perfect descriptions for what he was feeling at that moment, but even so, he didn't feel jealous, or disappointed, or even confused. He just felt...surprised. And that was all.

Thinking back to all the nights they'd spent together, all the moments they'd shared, he realized that there was only one explanation, and as Chiaki and Nagito pulled away, their eyes locking and their breathing heavy, everything made sense.

"Hmm, I see..." Chiaki said with a thoughtful expression, Nagito's hands still cupping her cheeks. "So this is what it feels like."

Nagito giggled at her remark, and let his hands drop back to his sides. "I guess so." He said, as if he wasn't quite sure himself, and Hajime wondered if that had been his first kiss as well.

Realizing that he hadn't said a single word this entire time, Hajime quietly sat up, and the other two looked towards him with cautious expressions, as if checking to see if this was alright. He only stared back at them, didn't speak, didn't move, and felt a deep blush forming on his cheeks at the sudden attention.

with each passing second it became harder and harder to hold their unsure gazes, so he looked to the side and fiddled with his thumbs. "I...think I'm in love with both of you." He suddenly confessed, and it was like the last tiny puzzle piece had finally been put in place.

Nagito and Chiaki simultaneously let out a sigh of relief, and though it was a reassuring gesture it seemed to bring him back to reality, because when he looked back up to them, his eyes widening and his mouth agape, he realized that he had said that out loud.

Hajime's face flared red and he jerked back. It wasn't like he didn't want to say that, but everything was happening so suddenly and so unexpectedly that he had surprised even himself with his own words.

Chiaki moved towards him now, and for a second he thought that she might kiss him too, but when she simply wrapped her arms around his waist and nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck, he felt his heart beating even faster. The tips of his fingers felt numb, and his head was all fuzzy. Was this really happening?

Hajime could do nothing but breathe as he looked towards Nagito in shock, and when their gazes met, the white haired boy only smiled at him reassuringly. But somehow, in that moment, Hajime's doubts vanished, and he slowly returned Chiaki's hug.

"There are a lot of things I still don't understand..." She whispered into his shirt, and he could feel her heart beating faster against him with every word. "For example," She began as she pulled away to look him in the eyes. "I know how babies are made, but I don't really know how to fall in love with someone...That sort of thing."

Nagito and Hajime's faces turned red at her choice of words, and they both exchanged awkward glances. Why would she use that as an example?!

"Oh, what happened? Both of your faces are all red." She observed as she turned from one to the other with a confused expression.

"N-nothing happened..!" Hajime quickly denied, and Nagito nodded his head in agreement.

"Don't worry about it." He laughed.

Sighing, she pushed it aside and continued. "Just as I thought, there's still a bunch of stuff I don't know anything about. I want to know more about a lot of things! Cuz if I do, I'll be able to understand much more...I think." Then, with a hopeful expression, she looked towards both of them and hesitantly smiled. "So...can you both keep teaching me?" She requested at last.

"I think we can do that, right Hajime?" Nagito decided, and Hajime hurried to agree.

"Yeah, of coarse!" He replied, all of his previous doubts forgotten. "But in order to do that...we need to hurry up and get off this island."

It could have just been his imagination, but for a second he thought he saw Chiaki's smile falter, and he wondered if he had said the wrong thing. It passed quickly though, and her smile was now back in place. It was a beautiful smile, he realized, and he hoped he would get to see it more often.

"...Don't ever forget about me." She said to them after a moment, and Hajime wondered why her words sounded so foreboding. "Even after you get out of here." She finished in a somber tone.

"Huh?" Hajime questioned, wondering why she would say something like that, but when he heard Nagito laugh carelessly from his side, he figured it really was just his imagination.

"I think I really am finally in love." Nagito said, and it was so cheesy and ridiculous that Hajime half expected him to be joking. But this was Nagito, and there was no way he'd joke about something like that, so Hajime just laughed and agreed.

"Yeah." He said with an awkward smile, and Chiaki nodded her head to show that she felt the same.

Nagito smiled sweetly at their response, and Chiaki picked up her DS, and as he looked at the two that had unexpectedly made their way into his life, Hajime wished these peaceful nights would last forever.

* * *

><p><em>It's finally over! To be honest I'm kinda sad about that. I had a ton of fun writing this and seeing what you guys thought about it along the way. I barely ever write fanfics, so it was a pretty new experience for me, and I feel like it really helped me grow as a writer. <em>

_Anyway, I really hope this last chapter didn't seem too rushed or anything. I also hope that everyone liked how it ended. If not, then dry your tears because I'm thinking about writing a one shot sequel! I'm not exactly sure when it'll be posted, but it'll be about the events of chapter 5 of the game... So basically, there'll be bunch of angst. _

_Thank you so much for reading this! Especially everyone who was with me from the very beginning. Your comments motivated me to continue, and without them I don't know if I would have been able to finish. So pretty much, you're the best. _

_Thank you again, and see you next time!_


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